. >> senator john kerry, whose presidential campaign pickens helped destroy four years ago when he gave money for the infamous and widely criticized swift boat ads that attacked the senators service in vietnam and his later testimony before congress. >> you spent $3 million funding an advertising campaign that in some people's mind was representative of dirty politics, smear politics, character assassination-- all of that at this stage, do you have an reservation? do you have any-- >> none. >> none. >> none. >> you'd do it over tomorrow? >> i--i--what i knew then, i know that same thing now, and nothing has changed my mind. >> surprisingly, that hasn't stopped some of the country's leading democrats like senate majority leader harry reid from embracing him and his ideas. >> here is a man who was my mortal enemy. he's my pal now. >> t. boone pickens grew up as an only child in holdenville, oklahoma, during the great depression. this is a house that you grew up in. we didn't have to go to oklahoma to see it. his childhood home was moved board by board right here to his texas ranch. if you